Alcatel-Lucent’s Tikitag system, first announced last fall, is now available in India. The RFID-enabled systems offers a way to link offline objects to the digital world.
The Tikitag system uses mailing-label sized RFID tags which can be stuck to objects or papers. The tags contain data that, when scanned by the system’s reader, leads the user to additional product information online. For example, a tikitag-bearing business card could lead to the cardholder’s business Web site or social network page.
Alcatel-Lucent Ventures, the Indian subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent, is offering a “starter package” for the system. The package includes includes a USB-enabled RFID reader and 10 tags, and provides access to a community Web site where users can create and share tikitag applications.
Alcatel-Lucent forecasts that the system will be successful in areas where NFC-enabled phone use is widespread. An advertiser could incorporate tikitags into posters in public areas, allowing consumers to use their phones to “grab” additional information about a product or event.